Sheep Ranchers and Herders of Arizona

Arriving in the late 1800s Basque sheep ranchers and herders are an overlooked part of Arizona history.  It was a viable early economic activity that since has seen its heyday. They grazed sheep on hundreds of thousands of acres moving them between the high country in the summer and the desert areas in the winter. These trails were used until recently and are still visible on the landscape. Other Basque came to open boardinghouses and restaurants. Through personal accounts of some of the families of early Basque sheep ranchers and herders this presentation will detail their reasons for coming to Arizona, their lives, and their contributions to Arizona.

Dr. Jaquay has a B.A degree in Anthropology, a M.A. in Geography and a PhD. in Historical Geography.  She has traveled extensively visiting all seven continents, over forty countries, hiked parts of the Bhutanese Himalayas, the Inca trail in Peru, and walked a section of the Great Wall of China. Jaquay has visited many out-of-the way islands such as: Robinson Crusoe, Easter, Tahiti and the Galapagos for their archaeological, historical and geographical mysteries. Her travels and research is compiled into a variety of presentations which she shares with students and adults in Arizona and across the country. She has published about Arizona’s Native Americans and Bed and Breakfasts in Costa Rica.